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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 21, 2021
From the mayor’s desk: by Meadow Martell
Can you believe this weather? On
Sunday, the thermometer on the north side of
my house registered 84 degrees in the shade.
The average April high in Cave Junction is
68 degrees. So please, please be extra careful.
The potential for fire danger already feels
high to me. Josephine County has already had
three fires. On April 14, the Tarter Gulch Fire,
about nine miles from Cave Junction was
completely lined at 20 acres. Thank you, I.V.
Fire District, for being so on top of watching
out for our community, for both fires and
accidents.
Friday, April 16, spraying for weed
management happened in the city. Greenway
Spray, a licensed, experienced, family owned
and operated business in Southern Oregon,
completed the spraying process in record
time with no problems. One of our Public
Works staff accompanied them to make sure
everything went smoothly.
Every year I receive a few letters about
the use of glyphosates in the city. The letters
are not friendly and use words like “inept,”
“willful malice” and “blind indifference.” I
have quit responding and here is why - there
seems to be little or no interest in being part
of a solution. There are only demands.
If you know me, I am an organic
gardener and I do not use or condone the use
of chemicals. however, as mayor of Cave
Junction, I have a responsibility to all the
residents in the city, especially when changes
have the potential of costing taxpayers more
money. I especially feel sensitive about single
handedly initiating a change of this size
because I did not campaign on this issue.
From the research I have done on
small cities that have implemented changes
(there are not many), there is no easy, quick,
inexpensive fix to phase out inorganic
chemicals for weed management. A change of
this magnitude requires a lot of community
support and possibly more money, equipment,
and staff. It took the city of Talent several
years of community-wide interest and
discussion and seven focused months of
meeting, studying, drafting, learning, and
trial and error, before the city council adopted
an Integrated Pest Management Plan in 2018.
It then took another three years to phase out
synthetic pesticides.
If a group of Cave Junction residents are
willing to step up, do the research, both pro
and con, look at the costs and impacts for a
city our size and can come up with alternatives
that will convince our city council, you have
my support.
Obitu arie s
Robert A. Boock,
74 , of Cave Junction, died
April 5, 2021 at his home.
Arrangements by Illinois
Valley Funeral Directors.
Greg Bryan
Coatney, 49, of Cave
Junction, died April 13, 2021
at Asante Rogue Regional
Medical Center.
Arrangements by Illinois
Valley Funeral Directors.
Charles Peter
Johnson, 81, known to
most by “Pete,” died at Three
Rivers Community hospital,
April 16, 2021. he was born
Sept. 12, 1939 to parents,
Charles Clifford Johnson and
Margaret Esther Leatham
Johnson of Takilma, Ore. Pete
spent his growing up years,
here in the Illinois Valley
attending first-12th grades
and proud he was of being
an IVhS graduate in ‘57. he
served in the U.S. Marine
Corp returning back to his
family’s way of life - logging
while learning and gaining
knowledge in mechanics. Pete
moved to Crescent City, where
he owned two fishing boats
and Walt’s Club Tavern. But
it was the call of the Alaska
Pipe Line and the high paying
jobs that lead him north. he
worked all 11 years, from
start to finish as a master
mechanic working the heavy
equipment on the Pipe Line on
the northern most post. Pete
also spent some time at one of
the bigger Alaska gold mines,
until a former boss invited
him to a dam job in Phoenix,
Ariz. When he retired, the
Illinois Valley then became his
home again. he leaves behind
nephews, Richard Johnson
of Lostine, Ore. and Terry
Johnson of homer, Ark.; a
niece, Donna Doyle of Walla
Walla, Wash.; and companion,
Charlene hickerson.
Pete Johnson
Cattle in Oregon again found dead amid strange circumstances
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (AP)
— Cattle in Oregon are again
showing up dead under strange
circumstances.
Over the past three months,
seven animals have been found
mutilated on ranch land in central
Oregon’s Crook County, the
Northwest News Network reported
Tuesday. In most cases, the dead
animal’s sex organs, tongue or eyes
are cut away cleanly and there is
no blood.
The cases call to mind similar
discoveries of five mutilated bulls
in 2019 in harney County, where
five bulls were found dead in a
2-mile radius with their sex organs
and tongues removed. There have
also been cases in recent years
in Wasco, Umatilla, Wheeler and
Lake counties in recent years.
There have also been cases
reported in Arizona.
Similar cases of mutilated
livestock and even elk and deer
have surfaced periodically across
the country and, in the 1970s, a
also worked with the Oregon State
Police to try to crack the mystery.
The theories range from
scavengers such as carrion bugs
eating the carcasses to people
attacking the animals to cause
financial harm to ranchers.
“It’s upsetting, because,
again, it’s our livelihood. It’s how
they make their money and how
they feed their families and support
themselves,” Crook County
Undersheriff James Savage said of
the ranchers who lost animals most
rash of livestock mutilations across
the U.S. West and Midwest struck
fear in rural areas.
Thousands of cattle and other
livestock ranging from Minnesota
to New Mexico were found dead
with their reproductive organs
and sometimes part of their faces
removed.
In the current Oregon cases,
the sheriffs from several affected
counties are trying to coordinate
and share information, the network
reported. harney County in 2019
recently.
Savage said in such a vast,
rural county it’s hard to solve such
cases — and there’s very little
physical evidence.
“In a lot of cases we come
down, it’s a burglary or theft or
whatever,” he said. “We have
suspects. We catch something
on camera, or someone sees
something, or witnesses something.
But this is so rural, it’s just very
tough to piece it together.”
S a ve th e d a te
April 24
Please pass the word to your friends that
there will be a follow-up FREE Covid vacci-
nation clinic this coming Saturday, April 24,
10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Family Coalition park-
ing lot, 535 E River Street in Cave Junction.
People who got the first shot on April 3 can
get their second shot and anyone over 16 can
get their first shot.
Ongoing / Through May 31
**Cobra Lily: a review of southwest Or-
egon literature & art seeks work for the 7th
annual issue. Cobra Lily is a print publication
celebrating our region. Send fiction, poetry,
memoir, essays, regional history, photogra-
phy, paintings, illustration, and more (don’t
feel the need to limit yourself to these genre
categories). Deadline is May 31. Email co-
bralilyreview@gmail.com or visit leftfork-
books.com/cobralily for more information.
Virtual Auction open now until 8 p.m. April
22. Your donations will directly contribute to
helping us expand our programs in 2021, such
as the IV Gleaning Project, IV Bikespace, and
our new Earth Scouts! school. help us raise
$1.5k by Earth Day! Visit www.32auctions.
com/SLCEarthDayAuction to bid. For more
info on our work, visit www.spiralliving.org.
April
**Register for SUN School Spring
sessions! Grades 1-8. Online. Free. Spring
sessions are four Fridays in April (Spring
theme: A Trip Around Our Natural Neigh-
borhood). Visit our Facebook page for the
registration links: facebook.com/SunSchoo-
linIV or contact the SUN School Coordina-
tor, kaci Elder: SUNSchoolAtRusk@gmail.
com, 541-363-8806. This is the sixth year of
SUN School, a program of Rusk Ranch Na-
ture Center in Cave Junction. Donations are
always (greatly) appreciated.
Ongoing / Through April 22
Ongoing
Celebrate “Earth Month” with Spiral
Living Center! Bid on a variety of handmade
items from local and global artisans in our
**A PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB for teens
is forming in Cave Junction! We’ll start with
socially-distanced outdoor hikes, to look for
Illinois
Valley
News
Published weekly by
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Daniel J. and Laura M.
Mancuso, co-publishers
POSTMASTER: Please send
address changes to P.O. Box 1370,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Illinois Valley News is published
weekly except the first week of
January at 219 S. Redwood
Hwy.,
Cave Junction, OR 97523
Telephone 541-592-2541
Since 1937 periodicals postage
paid at Cave Junction, OR 97523
P.O. Box 1370 USPS 258-820
great photo opportunities. Future activities
will include indoor editing collaborations,
guest speakers, and a photo show and contest.
Please contact CJCameraClub@gmail.com if
you might be interested in joining us!
Tuesdays
**Food Pantry New Hours: Tuesdays
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Cave Junction Seventh Day
Adventist Church reopens its Dorcas/Com-
munity Services Center, 265 South Old Stage
Road in Assistance to everyone, with no
church attendance required. Due to COVID-
19 precautions, all food will be pre-boxed.
People wishing to make contributions to
this effort, as volunteers or in donations to
feed local people, are encouraged to con-
tact Patti Delk at patti47delk@gmail.com or
to send a check to the Cave Junction SDA
Church marked “food pantry” to PO Box 330,
Cave Junction, OR, 97523.
**Every Tuesday at 6 p.m., an online
Community Grieving Circle is held through
Zoom. This gathering is to honor our loss
in all its many shapes and forms. This is a
space to process our individual grief together.
If you have questions or would like to join,
email: crossroadsdeathcare@gmail.com or
call 541-450-5336. Facilitated by Angela and
Michael Franklin of Crossroads Community
DeathCare.
** The Illinois Valley Safe House Alli-
ance after-hours crisis line can be reached
at 541-415-9367. The new local crisis line
will be answered any hours the Safe house
is closed. The line will be answered by an
advocate who will be able to respond lo-
cally, also recognizing the barriers that may
come up due to our rural location. For more
information contact the Illinois Valley Safe
house Alliance 541-592-2515.
** HIV Alliance offers services in Cave
Junction every Monday from noon – 3 p.m. at
Immanuel United Methodist Church (across
from ShopSmart). Services include: Free and
confidential hIV and hep C testing. Needle
Exchange and drop box (all syringes wel-
come), and overdose response and Naloxone
training.
editor -Laura Mancuso
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